Electrical heater for carburetors



Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,525,201 PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY W. RIELLY AND VERNON D. HOGAN, OF EGAN, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL HEATER FOB CARBURETOBS.

Application led February 1, 1921.

T 0 all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that we, HARVEY W. RIELLY and VERNON D. Hocus, citizens of the United States, residing at Egan, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Heaters for Carburetors, ot' which the followingr is Aa Specification.

. 'lhis invention pertaining in general to carbm'etors, has more part1cular reference to electrically heated devices for heating the l'nel mixture, and to the embodiment of such a device in a carburetor in a novel manner.

lVe have aimed, primarily, to provide in a carburetor, a simple and economical means for heating liquid fuel, our improvements being especially ada ted for kerosene, and other low grades of uel.

It is also our object to provide a novel means which shall facilitate starting an engine regardless of weather conditions or the grade of fuel used.

Another object is to provide for electrically heating the fuel nozzle of a carburetor, and torrlikewise heat a reservoir or well just below the nozzle to promote more thorough Carburation.

Still another object is to construct and embody a heat-ing unit inthe rimary air tube of a float chamber. This 1s done in a particularl novel manner, insurin complelte and urable insulation of the eating co1 Other objects and attendant advantages will be apireciated as the invention becomes better un erstood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through the loat chamber of a carburetor shtwing a heater embodying our invention; an

Fig. 2, a view partly in section of the vaiprizing unit removed from the air intake tu Our invention is applicable to any carburetor having a primar mixture nozzle, and is particularly suitedv to that type in which' the nozzle 1s located in the primary air intake or tube. In the present application, we have'shown for purpose of illustration, alconrentional air intake tube 3 threadingly secured yfto a float chamber casing 4. The fuel nozzle 5, disposed centrally within the tube 3, is connected to the t'uel chamber Serial No. 441,539.

6 through means of a fuel inlet conduit 7 diametrically through the tube 3. A fuel reservoir or well S intersects the conduit 7 directly below the nozzle passage. A suitable needle valve 9 cooperates with the nozzle for regulatingr the fuel supply. The upstanding nozzle 5 and the well 8 are heated by an electric coil designated gen-A erally by reference character 10. An electric current may be supplied to the coil in any suitable manner, and the coil itself or an equivalent electrical heating element may be constructed in any suitable manner for heating the nozzle and well.

In the present example, we prefer to construct the heating unit independently and to then operatively associate it with the air inlet tube. This unit is made preferably in the form of a casting, comprising horizontal arms 12, an upstandng nozzle 5 and a de.- pending well casing 13. The horizontal and vertical passages through these parts ot' the casting may be suitably forint-d, and in the present example are drilled, a plu 14 being employed for closing` the bottom oli the Well. The vertical and horizontal arms of the casting are next covered by a coating of suitable insulation material 15, except for the extremities of the horizontal arms 12, as shown in the drawings. The electric coil 10 is then wound about the casting in any suitable manner, the terminals emanating from the bottom of the Casting. Another coating 16 of suitable refractory material such as orcelain, thoroughly insulates the coil. The

eating unit now completed, is placed in a die or mold and the tube 8 is cast about the unit so that upon shrinkage of the metal, the ends of the arms 12 will be rigidly secured to the tube. This method of manufacture insures thorough insulation of the electric coil and also a yrigid and leak-proof connection between the unit and the tube 3. By die-casting the tube 3 about the complete heating unit, the cost of production is also reduced.

In operation, the heat generated by the electric coil 10 raises the temperature of the fuel in the nozzle 5 and the reservoir 8, to such a degree that the fuel will be easily atomized at the needle valve. The air drawn in through the inlet tube 3 will also be heated by radiation from the heating unit, thus improving the condition for atomization of the fuel. By employing the well 8, a considerable quantity of fuel will be heated and a circulation will be induced, in which the fuel drawn through the inlet 7 will enter t'he Well or reservoir at the periphery thereof, and pass downwardly, W ile the heated liquid will rise in a central current to the nozzle passage and be reheated therein to a higher temperature. heating device of this kind not only increases the efficiency of the explosive mixture but also enables the use of low-grade fuels, such as kerosene. The device also functions exce tionallv Well as a substitute for the so-ca led primers or -starters designed to facilitate quick starting of an eufine in cold Weather.

It is believed that the foregoing' conveys a clear understanding of our invention, and

pressed in the appended claim, in Which-4 'e claim A fuel heating unit comprising vertically 25 aligned nozzle and Well portions and intermediate lateral fuel inlet portions, an electric heating coil about said vertical portions, an insulatlon casing cast about the coil. and

a primary air tube cast on the ends of the 3 lateral inlet portions.

HARVEY W. RIELLY. VERNON D. HOGAN. 

